At the close of the reading of Dr. Watkins's paper, motion was made, seconded and carried that when the Association adjourns it do so until tomorrow morning at 8:30 A. M., instead of 9 A. M., as provided for on the programme. The Association then adjourned.

MORNING SESSION,

FRIDAY, APRIL 21.

At 8:45 A. M. the Association was called to order by the Fresident, Dr. Bondurant.

Dr. Wilder, of Birmingham, arose and stated that in view of the fearful calamity which had just befallen the citizens of San Francisco and of the Pacific Slope he would like to offer the following resolution:

Resolved, That the members of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama do hereby extend to the sufferers of San Francisco and of the Pacific Slope sincere sympathy and condolence in their distress.

Upon motion, which was duly seconded, this resolution was unanimously adopted.

The President announced that the next order of business was the report of the Board of Censors, but inasmuch as the Board was not yet ready with its report, the time would be spent in the relation of such cases as the members might desire to bring before the Association, and in the discussion of the papers presented at the evening session of yesterday.

Dr. Peterson, of New York, then presented a patient upon whom he had recently performed appendicostomy for the relief of chronic dysentery, and also gave a most interesting talk on the development and merits of this operation for the relief of a condition the treatment of which, until comparatively recently, had been viewed as wholly medical.

(For report of the case, together with discussion thereon by Drs. Furniss and Goggans, see Part II of this Volume.)

At the conclusion of Dr. Peterson's remarks, Drs. Goggans and Gay discussed the paper of Dr. Jordan, on "Selected CaseReports of Abdominal Operations," which had been presented the preceding evening.

(For this discussion see Dr. Jordan's paper, Part II of this Volume.)

The President announced that the Board of Censors was now ready with its report, and that this order of business would be taken up.

THIRTY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE BOARD OF CENSORS, TOGETHER WITH ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE STATE BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS, OF THE STATE COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC HEALTH, AND OF THE STATE HEALTH OFFICER.

PART I.

The Board begs to submit this, its thirty-third annual report. The President's Message.

After calling attention to the successful public health work done last summer, in the way of protecting the State from an invasion by yellow fever, when threatened with that disease on two sides, and after noting the fact that a warfare against tuberculosis was inaugurated in this State last year under the auspices of the State Medical Association, the President makes the following specific recommendations:

First Recommendation.

The President recommends that a standing tuberculosis committee consisting of nine members of this Association be appointed by the incoming President, for the purpose of actively prosecuting an anti-tuberculosis campaign, the tenure of office of the members of the committee to be fixed by the Association. He further recommends that the committee be authorized to act either independently, or in association with individuals, or with bodies already organized, or to be organized, having a similar object in view.

With this recommendation of the President the Board is in entire accord and urges its adoption by the Association.

Second Recommendation

The President next recommends that a State Institution for the care of inebriates and drug habitues be established.

With this recommendation the Board is in entire accord, but begs to amend the recommendation by the addition of epileptics to the defectives to be provided for in such an institution.

Third Recommendation.

The President next recommends the establishment of a "Medical Journal" by the Association, “in which should be published all papers and reports, and all proceedings of the Association, as well as other medical news and matters of general interest to the profession."

The Board realizing the great departure which the establishment of such a journal would be from the methods hitherto pursued, and also the general importance of the suggestion, deems it wise to suggest that this recommendation be subjected to thorough study before action thereon is had. The members of the Association are no doubt aware that many states have in recent years established journals of the kind recommended by the President, consequently this policy is now being put to a practical test in such states. With the view of giving time for the thorough study of the subject, the Board recommends that the President's proposition be referred to the publishing committee, of which the retiring President will be a member, and that said committee be instructed to obtain all information that will throw light upon the subject, and to report to this Association at its next meeting.

Fourth Recommendation.

President makes is that

The next recommendation the County Boards of Examiners be abolished. The Board is clearly of the opinion that there are two sides to this question, and without undertaking at this time to present the arguments on the other side to that advocated by the President, it recommends that the President, the two Vice-Presidents, and the Board of Censors be authorized to consider the subject when the next legislature assembles, with such lights as may be before them at that time, with the view of determining whether or not it will be judicious to ask the legislature to so reconstruct the law regulating the practice of medicine in this State as to carry out the President's recommendation. Should said committee decide to make the effort, the Board recommends that the law be reconstructed in other respects, such as,

I.

1. To confer the power of establishing reciprocity with other states;

2. To give to the Association the right to revoke the license of physicians who under proper investigation may be

found guilty of such criminal or unethical conduct as to render them unworthy of enjoying the right to practice medicine; 3. To give the Association the right to issue pro forma licenses to medical officers of the Army, Navy, and Marine Hospital Service;

4. To give to the Association the right of extending the privilege of practicing medicine in this State to such physicians of other States as reside near the borders of this State, provided such physicians hold license from their respective states and have the same recorded in the offices of the judges of probate of the counties of this State into which their practices may extend.

In closing his discussion of this recommendation the President announces a sentiment which taken in the abstract is worthy of endorsement, indeed, of admiration, but when applied to the practical affairs of life must often be either materially modified, or wholly violated. The sentiment is thus expressed: “If we are afraid to have our system publicly discussed, act only in the defensive, never fight until forced to the wall, we deserve to be beaten and will eventually be well beaten. If our cause is just and right, and the proposed changes proper and of advantage to the people of the State, we should not fear to advocate them and should be willing to fight for them if necessary."

cause.

Let us analyze this sentiment for a moment and see whether the policy it proposes should be followed under all circumstances. In order to secure the abolition of county boards where must the battle be fought, and by whom? Evidently, on the floor of the legislature and not by ourselves, but by such members of the legislature as choose to espouse and defend our Does not a battle under such circumstances place us at a great disadvantage? If the members of the legislature understood as we understand our system of organization and the arguments that may be advanced in support of it; if they appreciated as we appreciate what the organized profession is unselfishly striving to accomplish for the public and private health of the people of the State, then, they might be depended upon to do our fighting for us quite as successfully, or more so, than we could for ourselves, but, as already said, such is far from being the case. The only part we can hope to take in the fight is to obtain short, and frequently unsatisfactory interviews with some of the members of the legislature, or to

secure fragmentary and inadequate hearings before committees to which the matter would be referred. Could the members of the Association have the privilege of doing their own fighting on the floor of the legislature, then, the sentiment expressed by the President would be entitled to our full acceptance. The General who always fights regardless of the superior advantages of his enemy courts and deserves defeat. Discretion, no less than courage, is an essential trait of a successful commander. Dominated by these views, the board deems it the part of wisdom to suggest a modification of the President's recommendation to the effect that when the legislature meets the committee already indicated shall, with the lights then before it, decide as to the best course to be pursued. Did time permit it would be easy to point out that should an effort be made in the next legislature to abolish county boards of examiners, regardless of every other consideration, we might lose much more than we would gain, even if the effort should prove successful.

Fifth Recommendation.

The next recommendation made by the President is that each county society be empowered to send to the Association one delegate for every ten of its members, or major fractions thereof, the representation of no county, however, to be less than two delegates.

The Board finds that the adoption of this recommendation would violate section 4 of the charter of this Association, which reads in part as follows: "(2) Delegates, of which each affiliated society is entitled to two."

As it would be out of order to consider or discuss at this. time a recommendation that is in violation of the charter the board requests that the chair so rule.

Sixth Recommendation.

The next recommendation is that the president, the vicepresidents, and the members of the board of censors be declared ineligible to succeed themselves.

After careful study the Board finds itself unable to endorse this recommendation. The reasons for such refusal seem overwhelming.